Brandon Figueroa Admits Sluggish Performance, Plans Brief Rest

SAN ANTONIO, Tex.—For the first time since he strolled into his father's boxing gym and entered the family business, Brandon Figueroa plans to spend his immediate future acting like a normal teenager.

The baby-faced 19-year old from Weslaco, Tex. secured his biggest win to date, a 3rd round stoppage of Puerto Rico's Adalberto Zorrilla on Saturday evening at Scottish Rite Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. The bout was his second in four weeks, both of which were staged at this very venue and showcased live on NBC Sports Network as part of the cable channel's Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) series.

Figueroa has enjoyed an active schedule since turning pro in May '15, rolling to 9-0 (7KOs), five wins of which have come in 2016 including four in as many months with his latest adventure.

Such a hectic schedule was openly embraced by the younger brother of former lightweight titlist Omar Figueroa, who was seated ringside. It's a role he's embraced for each of Brandon's last five starts all while having been idle since last December.

After Saturday's effort, the younger Figueroa plans to join his brother on the sidelines.

"It was good to get the knockout, but I felt very off tonight, very sluggish," Figueroa admitted to BoxingScene.com after the fight. "I like the activity but this might be the first time in my career where I need a break.

"This was the toughest test to date for me. I knew that going into the fight and he landed a few good shots. This was a night where I needed to be at my best. I wasn't but fortunate to get the job done."

Not helping his cause was rushing back to training camp immediately after his 2nd round knockout of Oldier Landon in June. Just one full days rest followed before returning to the gym for this fight.

"Brandon was sluggish tonight, but I know his capabilities," Omar Figueroa Sr., Brandon's father and trainer told BoxingScene.com. "When he hits the mitts... he hits hard. In the corner I just urged him to have confidence in his power and keep working the body.

"We are going to take a break, maybe shut it down for a month before returning to the gym. He's fought five times this year, so maybe we slow down a little, look to come back in September."

It sounds like a good idea to the younger Figueroa, who will rest and relax as much as he can in the Texas-sized heat wave.

"I felt a little sick towards the end of training camp. My focus was just trying to get him out of there," noted Figueroa. "I did that, so now it's time to act like a teenager (19 years old) and enjoy a summer vacation, maybe slow it down just a little."